How to Calculate Macros for Fat Loss and Muscle Gain

To calculate your macros, first find your daily calorie target, then split it into protein, carbohydrates and fat. Convert each share to grams: divide protein and carb calories by 4 and fat calories by 9. For fat loss, keep protein high (about 1.6–2.2 g per kg of body weight). The Macro Meal Planner does every step and splits the result into meals.

What are macros?

Macros (macronutrients) are the three nutrients that provide calories:

Macro	Calories per gram	Main foods
Protein	4	Chicken, fish, eggs, daal, chana, paneer, yoghurt, tofu
Carbohydrates	4	Rice, roti, bread, oats, potatoes, fruit
Fat	9	Oil, ghee, butter, nuts, seeds, cheese

Counting macros is just a more detailed way of counting calories that makes sure you eat enough protein.

How do I calculate my macros step by step?

Step 1: Find your calories. The Macro Meal Planner uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation with your sex, age, height, weight and activity level, then adjusts for your goal:

• Lose 0.5 kg / 1 lb a week (−500 kcal)
• Lose slowly (−250 kcal)
• Maintain weight
• Lean gain (+250 kcal)
• Gain (+500 kcal)

It never goes below 1,200 kcal for women or 1,500 kcal for men. Our guide on daily calorie needs explains the formula.

Step 2: Pick a split. The planner offers these protein / carbs / fat splits:

Diet style	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Balanced	30%	40%	30%
High protein	40%	30%	30%
Low carb	40%	20%	40%
Keto	25%	5%	70%
Custom	your choice, always adding to 100%

You can also set protein by grams per kg of body weight instead, which is the way many coaches work.

Step 3: Convert to grams. Multiply calories by each percentage, then divide by 4 (protein, carbs) or 9 (fat).

Worked example: 2,000 kcal, balanced

• Protein: 30% × 2,000 = 600 kcal ÷ 4 = 150 g
• Carbs: 40% × 2,000 = 800 kcal ÷ 4 = 200 g
• Fat: 30% × 2,000 = 600 kcal ÷ 9 = about 67 g

Split across four meals, that's roughly 38 g protein, 50 g carbs and 17 g fat per meal.

How much protein do I really need?

For general health, adults need at least 0.8 g per kg of body weight. If you lift weights or are dieting, 1.6–2.2 g per kg helps keep muscle. For an 80 kg person on 2 g/kg, that's 160 g a day, around 40 g per meal over four meals.

Good protein sources, with approximate protein per portion:

• 100 g cooked chicken breast: about 31 g
• 2 large eggs: about 12 g
• 1 cup cooked daal or chana: about 15–18 g
• 100 g paneer: about 18 g
• 200 g Greek yoghurt: about 20 g

What does one meal look like?

The planner shows an example plate for each meal, using chicken breast for protein, cooked rice for carbs and olive oil for fat, so you can picture the amounts. Swap in foods you like with similar macros: fish or daal for chicken, roti or potatoes for rice, nuts or ghee for oil.

Mistakes to avoid when counting macros

• Ignoring cooking fat. A tablespoon of oil adds about 14 g of fat.
• Weighing cooked vs raw inconsistently. 100 g of raw rice becomes about 300 g cooked.
• Chasing perfect numbers. Being within 10 g of each target is plenty.
• Too little fibre. Low-carb plans still need vegetables, seeds and nuts.

Who should get personal advice?

People with diabetes (especially on insulin), kidney disease, pregnancy, or a history of eating disorders should plan macros with a doctor or dietitian. High protein in particular isn't suitable for some kidney conditions; see the Diet Plan for Health Conditions for condition-specific guidance.

Plan your macros

Open the Macro Meal Planner, enter your details, pick a goal and diet style, and choose how many meals you eat. You'll get daily grams, a per-meal table and an example plate. To see how a real day compares, paste it into the Food Calorie & Fiber Checker. If you train with weights, the One Rep Max Calculator helps you plan your lifts too.